


The Bridesmaid

by Rainne



Series: Thank-You Fics [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Asexual Character, Gay Marriage, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 11:13:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4302642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainne/pseuds/Rainne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unexpected celebration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bridesmaid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RembrandtsWife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RembrandtsWife/gifts).



> This fic is part of my Thank-You Fics, so called because they have been written as thank-you gifts to people who have donated to my mother's cancer fund, which is helping to pay for my mother's chemotherapy treatments and eventual surgeries.
> 
> If you would like to know more about my writing and my gift fics and how to get a Thank-You Fic of your own, please visit [this Tumblr post](http://rainnecassidy.tumblr.com/post/118466323344/please-help). Thanks.

Darcy's jolted out of a sound sleep - and a ridiculous dream about monkey caravans - by the blaring of the smoke alarm in the kitchen.  It's stopped by the time she rolls out of bed and wraps up in her robe, but by then she's mostly awake, so she wanders down the hall to investigate anyway.

Bucky's standing at the sink, looking hangdog and scraping burnt eggs into the trash can.  She rubs at her face and raises an eyebrow at him. "Happened?" she asks, reaching for a coffee mug.

"Steve distracted me," Bucky grumbles. "They burned."

Darcy laughs, low and soft. "Steve's very distracting," she admits. "It's no big deal. There's more eggs."  She yawns, collecting the vanilla creamer from the refrigerator and pouring it into her coffee.

Bucky pulls the eggs out and tries again.  Darcy sits down at the kitchen table.  "Where is Steve, anyway?  Is he hiding under the bed from the big scary noise?"

Bucky chokes on a laugh.  "No. He's gone down to the newsstand."

Darcy rolls her eyes.  "He is never going to get Tony to stop making old-man jokes if he doesn't give up the newspapers."

"He likes the crossword," Bucky defends.

"I bought him a whole book of New York Times crosswords," Darcy replies, waving Bucky's defense away. "I think he does it just to be contrary."

"Probably," Bucky agrees.

The front door swings open just about then, and Steve walks in, an indecipherable expression on his face.  Darcy quirks an eyebrow at him. "Hey," she says. "How come you look like you've just been whacked on the back of the head with a two-by-four?"

"Because the Supreme Court just ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in all fifty states," Steve replies.

Darcy's eyes open wide and her mouth drops open in surprise. "Really? That's fantastic!"

"Good!" Bucky agrees.

 There's silence in the kitchen for a minute before Steve says, "Hey, Bucky?"

Bucky, who is brooding over the eggs, makes an interrogative sound.

"I, uh. I know it's not as big of a deal here, since it's been legal in New York for years, but, uh."  Steve reaches up, scratching nervously at the back of his head.  "You wanna get married?"

The spatula falls out of Bucky's hand, bounces off the stovetop, and lands on the floor.  "Are... are you serious?"

Darcy sighs, steps up, and shoulders Bucky out from in front of the stove. "Move and let the ace do the cooking, please," she says. "Otherwise we're going to run out of eggs and I'm never going to get any breakfast."

~*~

"If we want to get married in New York, there's a waiting period," Bucky says as Steve's washing the dishes after breakfast.

Steve frowns. "I don't want to wait," he says.

"So go someplace else and get married," Darcy says reasonably. "Preferably somewhere that didn't allow gay marriage until today, if you really want to make a statement."

"That's an idea," Bucky says, rubbing his chin.  He goes into the living room and comes back with his iPad.  "Headlines are showing Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Ohio, Nebraska...?"

Steve considers this. "I've never been to Texas," he says.

"Me either," Bucky replies.  Then he makes a wincing sort of face. "At least... not _me_."

" _He_ doesn't count," Darcy says firmly.  She reaches across the table and squeezes Bucky's hand.  "So, I've heard that Austin is fun, we should totally do this in Austin."

"Yeah, okay," Steve says. "Now, someone tell me how we're going to get to Austin today."

Darcy grins broadly, picking up her cell phone. "I happen to have a guy who owes me a couple of favors."

"No, Darcy, no, _do not call Tony Stark._ "

"Too late," Darcy replies. "Hey, Tony, remember that favor you owe me?  I need a flight to Austin in..." She leans over and looks at the clock on the kitchen wall. "About two hours. You're not invited."

_"What for?"_ Tony asks, surprising absolutely no one.

"For reasons," Darcy replies. "Because you owe me. Two hours."

_"Fine, Lewis. Fine. But I'll get the answers out of you soon enough."_

"You might try," Darcy replies.  She hangs up.  Then she looks at Steve and Bucky. "Why are you two still standing there? Go pack. As long as we're going, we're taking a honeymoon."

"We?" Bucky asks, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Hell yes, _we_ ," Darcy replies, almost affronted. "I'm not the one getting married but am I not your ace-romantic life partner?"

Steve laughs, coming over to lean down and kiss her gently.  "Of course you are," he says. "And we wouldn't dream of leaving you out. So why don't we _all_ go and get packed?"

"Good plan."  Darcy stands, leaning down to brush a kiss on Bucky's temple as she goes past, and heads down the hall to the master bedroom.  A few minutes later, she's joined by Steve and Bucky, and the three of them are jostling for space to pack their bags and giggling at one another like children.

~*~

Darcy naps the whole way to Austin, and wakes a little mussed and a little grumpy upon arrival. They get her a Starbucks in the airport and a taxi to City Hall, and by the time they arrive, her disposition is much more cheerful. 

There are news cameras and reporters all around the front of the building, interviewing people who are getting married, and Steve (the little shit) waves at all of them, his hand tangled with Bucky's as they head for the door.  And of course it only takes about a minute before they hear one of the reporters say "Hey, isn't that Captain America?"

"Yep!" Steve calls back. "Be back out in a minute, guys. Just getting married!"

The reporters surge toward them, but they're inside and building security prevents the reporters from following them.  They find themselves at the end of a line of about five couples seeking licenses, and by the time they make it to the clerk's desk, they've been recognized and surreptitiously photographed at least four times.  None of them really care.

After filling out the paperwork, there's about a twenty-minute wait before they get their turn in the judge's office, and Bucky hands the judge his iPad.  "We wrote our own vows, if that's okay."

"I don't mind at all," the judge replies, "but you understand that this isn't -"

"We know," Steve assures her. "But we'd like to acknowledge that connection anyway."

The judge nods.  "It's your wedding," she says, grinning. "And heaven knows you've waited long enough for it.  Go ahead."  She hands the iPad back to Bucky, who looks down at it and begins to read.

"I chose you when I was six years old, and again when I was twenty-six, and no matter what happened, I have never regretted that choice.  I promise that I will always follow you, no matter where you go, and no matter what you do, I will always be by your side."

Steve swallows hard, not needing to look at the pad to remember the words he chose. "I was five years old the first time you pulled my ass out of a fire, and I was ninety-five the last time, and there have been a whole bunch of times in between. There is nobody but you that I would rather have beside me, and I will always wait for you, no matter what."

Darcy sniffles a little bit, wiping at a tear.  And then her mouth drops open a little in surprise when they both turn to her, reaching out to take her hands. "You chose us," Steve says softly, "when we both needed you the most. You have been our rock and our north star, and you've helped to save us both from ourselves."

"We promise that no matter where we go and what we do, you'll always be with us," Bucky adds. "For better or worse. No matter what."

The judge speaks.  "With the power vested in me by the great state of Texas, I now pronounce you married," she says, grinning broadly.  "You can kiss, if you want to, to seal the deal."

"They always want to kiss," Darcy assures the judge, even as the two of them do just exactly that. "It's kind of gross."

Bucky wraps an arm around Darcy's shoulders as Steve takes the newly-signed marriage license from the judge and shakes her hand.  "Okay, Dollface," he says. "Let's go show off for the news cameras." 


End file.
